1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method and a memory medium therefor, and more particularly an information processing system adapted for use in a system consisting of a host computer and a printer connected thereto, and a method and a memory medium therefor.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally there is known a system which consists of a host computer and a printer connected thereto and in which printing is executed by transmitting print data from the host computer to the printer. In such system, by transmitting the print data from the host computer to the printer plural times, it is possible to stack the output sheets, on a sheet discharge unit provided in the printer, by the number of transmissions (hereinafter called multiple-copy output). In such process, however, the load of data communication between the host computer and the printer inevitably increases in proportion to the number of transmission.
On the other hand, some recent printers have the function of temporarily storing the received data in specified memory means and executing the operation as if the data have been received by the designated number of times. Such function allows to realize the multiple-copy output described above by a communication load of transmitting the print data of about one time to the printer. In case of the multiple-copy output with the above-described printer function, the conventional printer driver functioning on the host computer always adds, to the ordinary printer control commands, a printer control command for designating the number of repetition of the process on the data received by and temporarily stored in the printer.
However, the above-described conventional technology has been associated with the following drawback. As the total data size of the printer control commands generated by the printer driver cannot be generally known until the end of the command generating process, such total data size of the printer control commands may exceed the maximum data size temporarily storable in the printer. Consequently the multiple-copy output based on the above-described printer function is not necessarily always ensured.
In consideration of the foregoing, the object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system capable of always ensuring the result of predetermined multiple-copy output, and an information processing method and a memory medium therefor.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to the present invention, by an information processing system including an upper equipment such as a computer on which a command generating program for generating the print control commands is operable and a printing device such as a printer for effecting printing based on the data received from the upper equipment, the system comprising command memory means for temporarily storing the print control commands, discrimination means for discriminating whether the total data size of the temporarily stored print control commands exceeds the maximum data size of the received data temporarily storable in the printing device, and output means adapted, in case of excess, to output the temporarily stored print control commands by a designated number of times to the printing device, or an information processing method of a memory medium therefor.
The present invention is also featured in that the printing device includes received data memory means for temporarily storing the received data from the upper equipment and is capable of execution as if such data have been received by the designated number of times.
The present invention is also featured in that the upper equipment includes data size memory means for memorizing the maximum data size.
The present invention is also featured in that the data size memory means is attachable to and detachable from the upper equipment.
The present invention is also featured in that the maximum data size is memorized through a user interface of the command generating program.
The present invention is also featured in that the maximum data size is memorized by a program module other than the command generating program.
The present invention is also featured in that the printing device includes data size memory means for memorizing the maximum data size, and the upper equipment includes acquisition means for acquiring the maximum data size from the data size memory means.
The present invention is also featured in that the data size memory means is attachable to and detachable from the printing device.
The present invention is also featured in that the acquisition means is adapted to acquire the maximum data size through a bidirectional interface or a network.